User Help > Tracking Changes With Windchill RV&S Items > Creating an Item > Working With Field Types
  
Working With Field Types
The following describes working with the different types of fields that may appear in an item:
Field Type
Notes
Text
Your administrator can configure long text fields to support rich content. Rich content enhances the display of text in long text fields by adding formatted text, tables, background colors, images, and hyperlinks. For more information on rich content, see “Working With Rich Content Fields”.
Text fields, such as Summary, support HTTP hyperlinks. This is useful if you want to include a link to a document on an internal or external Web site, such as a design document. You must include the http:// prefix.
You can specify a parameter name in short or long text fields. For more information, see “Editing an Item”.
Users and Groups
The users that can be selected for user fields are limited to those with permissions to the item’s project. The same applies to group fields.
Inactive users and groups are not available for selection. If a selected user or group value becomes inactive and the field remains untouched during an item edit, the inactive value persists. If you modify the field with the inactive value, you must change it to an active value.
Attachments
If mandatory attachments were defined for a specific state in your workflow, you must add an attachment before you save the item and a state transition can occur. For example, a developer may be required to attach a design document to a Feature type in the In Design state.
Attachment fields can display in comma-separated values (CSV) or table display format, depending on how your administrator has defined the attachment field.
By default, Windchill RV&S allows file attachments to a maximum size of 4 MB and a maximum of 255 characters for file names. Your administrator may define a higher or lower limit depending on the requirements of your system. You can also attach more than one file to a single item.
Relationships
Relationship fields can display in comma-separated values (CSV) or table display format, depending on how your administrator has defined the relationship field.
Adding a related item is only permitted if your administrator has allowed relationships for the item type.
You can create trace relationships between two items in the document model repository; for example, between a requirement and a test case, or between a higher-level requirement and a lower-level requirement. Trace relationships are defined through field pairs and are presented to the user in domain-specific language, for example, test management or requirements.
If document versioning is enabled, relationship fields configured to display values in CSV format do not support versioned item IDs, for example, 184-1.2.
Workflows and Documents Projects
Inactive projects are not available for selection. If a selected project value becomes inactive and the field remains untouched during an item edit, the inactive value persists. If you modify the field with the inactive value, you must change it to an active value.
Configuration Management Projects
To retrieve metrics from a configuration management (source) project related to the item you are creating, your administrator may define a field that accepts a configuration management project as a value.
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When editing a source project field, the Select a Source Project dialog box displays, allowing you to choose a Normal (mainline), Variant, or Checkpoint project.
If you select Checkpoint, you can choose the project based on the Revision or Label for that project checkpoint. The Label field displays any text assigned for the label, as well as the revision number. Choosing by label effectively selects the project revision associated with the label and it is this revision number that is subsequently displayed. If a label is later moved, the selection remains on the original checkpoint project revision number.
When selecting a Variant project, you choose the project based on a Development Path Name. If you specify a project variant, and then save the item, one or both of the following may occur:
One or more computed expressions in the item calculate specific metrics about the project, displaying the results as a read-only value in a computed field (the visibility of the computed field depends on the field’s relevance rules). For example, once you specify a project for the Source Code field, a Lines of Code field could calculate and display the number of lines of code in that project. As lines of code are added or removed from the project, the Lines of Code field updates to display the new value.
A metrics hyperlink displays in the configuration management project field. Clicking the hyperlink displays various metrics about the project.
In addition, the server and project information display in the configuration management project field as a hyperlink. Clicking the hyperlink displays the project in a Project view.
In Windchill RV&S, the item displays on the Associated Items tab for the specified project.
To select a configuration management project, you require the OpenProject permission for the specified project. Once a project has been specified, metrics can be obtained by any user with permissions to view the project field.
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Metrics are only maintained against project checkpoints; therefore, to generate metrics, you must specify a checkpoint when you specify the project.
Numeric
To quantify numeric field values, your administrator may define display patterns for numeric fields, for example, as currency or percentages. In addition, a display pattern may format the value you initially enter in the numeric field; for example, an input value of 0.126 may display as 0.13 after you create the item.
If a floating point field does not contain a display pattern, the field in the created item displays the same number of decimal places as when the value was typed in the numeric field.
Integer fields allow a maximum of nine digits.
Floating point fields allow a maximum of 15 digits. The floating point fields also accept 0 as a valid value. When using a decimal separator in a floating point field, ensure that you specify a valid value with the decimal separator. Windchill RV&S does not support a decimal separator without a valid value in a floating point field.
Your administrator can define default, minimum, and maximum values.
Date
Your administrator may include the time in date fields. You can specify the time when you select a date from the calendar. Time is specified in 24 hour format from 00:00:00 to 23:59:59 inclusive; however, Windchill RV&S displays the time in 12 hour format. For example, specifying 13:56:45 displays the time as 1:56:45 PM. If you do not specify a time, the current time displays in the date field.
If you cannot clear a date field, clicking Clear Date enters the current date.
Dates/times can only be changed through the calendar; they cannot be specified in the field.
The resulting date/time is reflected in the corresponding date/time field using the server's locale sensitive date/time display format. Time zone is not displayed, implying the client’s time zone.
Displayed date fields do not change based on the time zone a user operates in; however, displayed date/time fields do vary based on the time zone a user operates in.
Months and days of the week in the calendar popup are locale sensitive. They are based on the server’s locale.
Time zone information displays in the calendar popup using the client’s current time zone, for example, GMT-5:00. The time zone display does not change when the selected date/time crosses the daylight savings boundary, though it is recorded with the correct time zone.
Computed expressions return dates/times in the Windchill RV&S client’s time zone and perform calculations in the Windchill RV&S server’s time zone where appropriate.
When entering the date (or time) using the keyboard, it must be typed in the format as displayed in the field. Date fields include the following navigational keyboard shortcuts for accessibility and ease of use:
F4 opens the calendar for selection.
SHIFT+TAB moves focus of selection.
ALT+C presses the Clear Date button.
ALT+Y presses the Today button (if exists).
ALT+N presses the Now button (if exists).
LEFT, RIGHT, DOWN, and UP ARROW keys navigate the days, months, and years (or hours, minutes, and seconds).
PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN navigate the days, months, and years.
Phase
Your administrator may define phase fields in your workflow. Phase fields are read-only fields that specify categorized groups of states in a workflow, essentially creating states (represented by phases) and substates (represented by states) for an item type. Phases are useful for organizing an item type’s workflow if it contains a large number of states and to provide users with a broad overview of an item’s status independent of the workflow. Your administrator may display phases in the Workflow tab, if enabled.
Parameter and Parameter Value
Your administrator may define parameter and parameter value fields for item types.
Source Link
Your administrator may define source link field that you can use to provide a link to a member revision. For more information, see “Working With Source Link Fields”
Your administrator may define source link fields with trace enabled (containing a source trace) to track the source files that were changed as a result of implementing the change described in the item. For example, you could use a source trace on a requirement item to track the changes made in order to satisfy that requirement. Viewing the source traces for a requirement helps you analyze the impact of changing that requirement.
If a source link field is in table format, by default all source link and source trace attributes display. You can customize the columns displayed in the table. If a source link field is in comma separated values format, a subset of attributes display.